Beach Bungalow Transformation – Simple Airbnb Refresh

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In 2019, I started my first Airbnb property. The house needed a refresh and in this post I am sharing the BEFORE and AFTER of my little beach bungalow. With a little paint and a little love, there’s so much you can do! See some before and after shots of this simple but effective Airbnb makeover.

The Beach Life Bungalow by Beach Life Bliss Vacations
Rent the space on Airbnb
Follow on Instagram @BeachLifeBungalow

The Beach Life Bungalow is my very own AirBnb vacation rental located in Lake Worth Beach, Florida.

Coastal inspired, large private backyard, close to the beach and perfect location in an eclectic beach town.

Before & After

I bought this 1940’s bungalow style home in Lake Worth Beach last year to turn into an AirBnb!

It needed some help when I first looked at it but knew there was so much potential.

Here are some before and after looks of how I turned this house from boring and dated to coastal and vibrant!

The Living Room

Walking into the front door, there is a pretty spacious living area. It was a little quirky but for a ~750 square foot house, I could see the layout really working for vacation renters.

I’ve rented many Airbnb’s in the past and my only requirements for the living area are usually that it’s clean and roomy enough for the whole family!

Here is a shot of the BEFORE. Just blah, right?!

Here is how we transformed this living area space into something colorful and beachy while also being open and airy (for a somewhat tiny living room).

There wasn’t that much to be done in this room except for furnishing, putting some window treatments in, and a little paint.

The walls already had a cool texture that give the room some dimension and character.

We knew we wanted to sleep as many people as possible so we decided to purchase new couches so that we could get a pullout sofa in the living room.

The sofa and love seat combination works perfectly in this space. It’s open the the kitchen and enough seating for the whole family.

The bright blue area rug was a bold choice but I think it makes the whole room feel bigger.

I got this custom surfboard sign from Etsy! It is perfect over the entryway table.

The Kitchen

The kitchen wasn’t THAT bad but it really needed some love. The appliances were new and the previous owner had just replaced the hardware on the cabinets.

But it just didn’t fit the look and feel that I was going for.

Here is THE BEFORE….

See what I mean about the hardware on the kitchen cabinets? They were a chrome color and felt like plastic. Not classy at all! They had to GO.

After a few DIY projects and some TLC, the kitchen transformed into THIS!

I decided on a bold and colorful mosaic back splash. I was worried it was going to be a little busy at first but it turned out perfect.

The kitchen needed some flare and the back splash definitely did the trick. I even installed the back splash all by myself, YAY!

The open cabinets on the top was a last minute decision but I’m so glad we did it! The original cabinet fronts were pretty dingy looking.

I painted the bottom ones but it was feeling so closed off with all of the cabinet fronts.

By taking off the cabinet fronts completely on the top, I was able to create an open shelving concept. I painted just the back side of the cabinet a cool coastal blue color!

Vacation renters don’t really need closed cabinets like we might at home to keep the clutter down. Having all of the dishes in plain sight is a good way to showcase some of what your kitchen has to offer!

I installed the modern black cabinet pull handles to tie in to the black appliances. Black appliances are not always the favorite but by tying it into the design, it works.

If you saw the living room pictures above, you might have noticed the bright blue door.

The door in the kitchen that leads to the backyard is painted the same color!

It’s really a focal point of the house and is perfect for the beach house style.

The Bedrooms

Each of the 2 bedrooms in this house needed some paint! I choose 2 different shades of beachy turquoise blue. They are similar but different and compliment the design I chose for each room.

Here is what each bedroom looked like before!

Transforming the bedrooms with minimal changes!

All we needed to do here was paint and furnish!

Unfortunately the ceilings were also a strange color. And they are a pain in the butt to paint!

I decided to use a theme for each bedroom. Here is the flamingo bedroom!

I searched high and low for all the cutest flamingo decor I could find.

The flamingo blanket on the bed was something I found even before I bought the house. I just knew it had to be used in a bedroom design somehow.

Although, one of my favorite pieces in this room is the large flamingo painting above the bed. I found this at an estate sale down the street!

The second bedroom is a turtle ocean themed bedroom

Turtles are a staple in coastal inspired home designs!

I have them throughout my house and I knew I could find some fun turtle decor. The turtle area rug under the bed is one of my favs!

Outdoor Living Makeover

One of the biggest transformations was the backyard. It had been neglected for a while.

A chain link fence…yuck!

A sad concrete patio with no character… ew!

No shade what so ever… way too hot in south Florida!